Nexus Arena

Dr. Yakubu Mohammed Saani

Country Director – ActionAid DRC | United Arab Emirates

Country Director – ActionAid DRC

Mr. Simon Wankuru

Head of Programmes – ActionAid Afghanistan | United Arab Emirates

Head of Programmes – ActionAid Afghanistan

Ms. Farah Kabir

Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh | United Arab Emirates

Farah Kabir is the Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh and a renowned human rights activist with a longstanding commitment to social justice, gender equality, and climate justice. She is widely recognized for her uncompromising advocacy against human rights violations and her leadership in advancing women’s rights and political empowerment in Bangladesh. As a gender justice advocate, her contributions to research and advocacy are recognized nationally and internationally. As a media activist, Farah Kabir regularly writes op-eds and advocacy pieces in Bangla and English newspapers to advance social justice. A prominent voice on climate justice in Bangladesh, she actively engages in national and global advocacy platforms, including the UN climate negotiations (COP process).

Mr. Tanjir Hossain

Team Lead – Moderator | United Arab Emirates

Team Lead

Mr. Talha Keskin

CHI Director | United Arab Emirates

CHI Director

Dr. Sama Al-Shawi

Legal Advisor | United Arab Emirates

Legal Advisor

Mr. Ibrahim Ballout

Business Development Lead – Siemens Healthineers | United Arab Emirates

Business Development Lead – Siemens Healthineers

Ms. Kerri Elgar

Senior Global Health Advisor – OECD | United Arab Emirates

Senior Global Health Advisor – OECD

Dr. Shadi Saleh

Director – Global Health Institute (GHI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) | United Arab Emirates

Director – Global Health Institute (GHI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB)

Mr. Atef Fawaz

Executive Director – eHealth Africa | United Arab Emirates

Executive Director – eHealth Africa

Mr. Ota Akhigbe

Director of Programs and Partnerships – eHealth Africa | United Arab Emirates

Director of Programs and Partnerships – eHealth Africa

Dr. Ifunanya Ilodibe Ilodibe

CEO – eHA Clinic | United Arab Emirates

CEO – eHA Clinic

Ms. Sara Fikree

Supplier Relations Management and WFP Humanitarian Leaders Programme, WFP | United Arab Emirates

Supplier Relations Management and WFP Humanitarian Leaders Programme, WFP

Mr. Abdulazeez Mahboob

Strategic Market Analyst and WFP Humanitarian Leaders Programme, WFP | United Arab Emirates

Strategic Market Analyst and WFP Humanitarian Leaders Programme, WFP

Ms. Khadeeja Hamid

Dubai Global Shaper, Head of Creative Strategy at Entrepreneur | United Arab Emirates

Dubai Global Shaper, Head of Creative Strategy at Entrepreneur

Ms. Haanya Lone

Participant Engagement Coordinator at UN Global Compact | United Arab Emirates

Participant Engagement Coordinator at UN Global Compact

Mr. Samer AbdelJaber

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for the Middle East and Northern Africa and Eastern Europe | United Arab Emirates

Samer AbdelJaber is the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Regional Director for the Middle East, Northern Africa and Eastern Europe, a role he has held since June 2025. Mr. AbdelJaber facilitates coordination and dissemination of strategic guidance to Coun-try Offices across the region, strengthening operational effectiveness and performance. Mr. AbdelJaber represents the WFP in engagement with key stakeholders across the re-gion to enhance strategic partnerships, resource mobilization efforts and inter-agency coordination to advance WFP’s mission in the region. A Jordanian national, Samer brings over two decades of humanitarian and development leadership across the region and beyond. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Director of the Office of the Deputy Execu-tive Director and as WFP’s Director of Emergencies in the Office of the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at WFP Headquarters. In this role, he played a cen-tral part in shaping the organization’s global emergency preparedness and response ar-chitecture. Previously, Mr. AbdelJaber was WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Palestine, where he also led WFP’s emergency operations during the outbreak of the Gaza crisis in October 2023. He previously also served as Country Director in Libya, where he spear-headed initiatives that strengthened national capacities. Under his leadership, WFP also established key common services such as the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and the Logistics Cluster, improving humanitarian access and coordination across the country. Throughout his career, Mr. AbdelJaber has held a range of strategic and technical roles across WFP operations in Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, and Egypt, as well as at Headquarters. He served as Chief of Digital Solutions Delivery, leading major corporate technology initia-tives, and as Deputy Country Director in Egypt, where he strengthened partnerships with UN agencies and donors and oversaw WFP’s Syria emergency response in Egypt. He has also played a key role in inter-agency coordination, most recently representing WFP in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Emergency Directors Group, contributing to the humanitarian reset agenda, support to Resident Coordinators, and the review of corporate scale-ups. Mr. AbdelJaber holds a degree in Computer Science from Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Amman, Jordan. He is married and has two children.

Mr. Ahmad Mukhtar

FAO Representative to the United Arab Emirates and Subregional Coordinator for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and Yemen | United Arab Emirates

FAO Representative to the United Arab Emirates and Subregional Coordinator (OIC) for the GCC States and Yemen

Mr. Mohammed Mishal

Former Curator of WEF Dubai Global Shapers Hub, PWC – Moderator | United Arab Emirates

Former Curator of WEF Dubai Global Shapers Hub, PWC

Mr. Elif Ergani

International Humanitarian Affairs Officer | United Arab Emirates

International Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Ms. Marianne Mollman

Programme Director – AADK | United Arab Emirates

Programme Director – AADK

Mr. Stephen Oladepo

Youth Representative | United Arab Emirates

Youth Representative

Ms. Sana Sana Al-Hyari

Head of Programmes, ActionAid Arab Region | United Arab Emirates

Head of Programmes, ActionAid Arab Region